Capital Punishment: Race, Poverty, & Disadvantage

This course will examine issues of poverty and race in the criminal justice system, particularly with regard to the imposition of the death penalty. Topics will include the right to counsel for people who cannot afford lawyers, racial discrimination, prosecutorial discretion, judicial independence, and mental health issues.

Moral Foundations of Politics

This course explores main answers to the question, “When do governments deserve our allegiance?”
“Moral Foundations of Politics” starts with a survey of major political theories of the Enlightenment—Utilitarianism, Marxism, and the social contract tradition—through classical formulations, historical context, and contemporary debates relating to politics today. It then turns to the rejection of Enlightenment political thinking. Lastly, it deals with the nature of, and justifications for, democratic politics, and their relations to Enlightenment and Anti-Enlightenment political thinking. Practical implications of these arguments are covered through discussion of a variety of concrete problems.

America's Unwritten Constitution

America’s Unwritten Constitution goes beyond the text of the Constitution to ask questions like: What are the ground rules for proper constitutional interpretation? Who decides what the text means? How does the written constitution interact with unwritten sources of constitutional authority, such as judicial decisions, presidential proclamations, landmark statutes, and widespread popular understands?

The Moral Foundations of Politics

This course explores main answers to the question “when do governments deserve our allegiance?” It starts with a survey of major political theories of the Enlightenment—Utilitarianism, Marxism, and the social contract tradition—through classical formulations, historical context, and contemporary debates relating to politics today. It then turns to the rejection of Enlightenment political thinking. Lastly, it deals with the nature of, and justifications for, democratic politics, and their relations to Enlightenment and Anti-Enlightenment political thinking. Practical implications of these arguments are covered through discussion of a variety of concrete problems.